1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and system for managing configurable services provided to a group of users, and in one embodiment to a method and system for managing user-centric services in a virtual user domain.
2. Discussion of the Background
Currently, residential users login in to a network (e.g., a telephone-, cable- or DSL-based network) of a carrier or service provider by creating an active session (e.g., a DSL pppoa or pppoe session). Often, because of the underlying technology (e.g., DSL and ATM), the residential connection requires neither a login name nor password. The circuit is simply provisioned at the central office without requiring much set up at the customer premise. The customer premise equipment, usually a standalone DSL or cable modem, is either preconfigured or requires minimum configuration and plugs into a provisioned RJ-11 line (WAN interface) or coaxial cable connection going out of the home.
For multiple nodes (e.g., PCs, laptops, access points, VoIP phones) to connect on the same line, a router is connected to the LAN interface of the modem and provides DHCP and NAT services that enable all nodes on the LAN to connect to the Internet. All these nodes' private IP addresses are translated to a single internet address (i.e., the address of the router), and the router performs port (TCP/UDP port) translation services. The outgoing connections are configured to look like they come from a usually different port number at the router, and incoming connections are converted to ports on the nodes as specified at the router. This dual translation allows multiple nodes to share a single IP address with respect to nodes not on the user's network, while still allowing each of the nodes to make separate connections to the Internet.
In the context of a DSL connection, the DSL subscriber known to the carrier is in fact no more than an ATM circuit id referenced to the billing and service address of the payer. Similarly, for a cable-based connection, the cable subscriber is nothing more than a cable modem MAC address referenced to the billing and service address of the payer. All traffic is classified as best effort (BE) “up to” some published downstream or upstream data rate.
The advancement of user sessions and flow management techniques at layer 7 holds promise in delivering high quality IP formatted content to the home. Additionally, the maturity and adoption of new broadband access technology such as VDSL, Ethernet, Wi-Max, and optical fiber are enabling telecommunication carriers and MSOs to deliver a richer product portfolio that includes voice, data, and video with user flexibility and at the service quality worth paying for. However, with the current subscriber access and aggregation architecture, there are several subscriber elements missing that cannot allow the paying subscriber to monitor, control, or manage usage of his broadband connection; enable nomadic access with trusted domain, and maintain personalized access profiles.